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A former Democratic congressional intern was arrested on Wednesday for “doxing” — or posting private contact information online — three Republican senators while Supreme Court nomineeBrett Kavanaugh was testifying in front of the Senatethis past Thursday,the Capitol Police confirmed in a statement.
Jackson Cosko, 27, of Washington, D.C., allegedly was involved in posting phone numbers and home addresses for Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Sen. Orrin Hatch and Sen. Mike Lee, both of Utah,The Washington Postreported.
His charges include “making public restricted information personal,” “witness tampering,” “threats in interstate communications,” “unauthorized access of a government computer,” “identity theft, “second degree burglary,” and “unlawful entry.”
Cosko is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Deborah A. Robinson of the District on Thursday afternoon, the District Attorney’s office for D.C. told the outlet. At the time of the alleged doxing, Cosko was on the staff of Texas Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee.
The Capitol Police, the DA’s office for the District of Columbia and reps from Jackson Lee’s office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. It wasn’t immediately clear if Cosko had retained an attorney.
Sen. Lindsey Graham.Senator Lindsey Graham/Youtube
Jackson Lee’s chief of staff Glenn Rushing did, however,tell theHouston Chroniclethat Cosko had only been with the office for a month and has since been terminated.
After the information was taken down from the website, the changes were then tracked via IP addresses to computers inside the U.S. Capitol.
Graham, Hatch and Lee are all members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and therefore have sizable influence over the judge’s confirmation. Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell spoke about the alleged intimidation tactic on Thursday,according to CBS.
US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, speaks to the media following a meeting with Republican Senators and US President Donald Trump to discuss the health care bill at the White House in Washington, DC, July 19, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
“There is no chance in the world they’re going to scare us out of doing our duty,” the Senate majority leader said.
source: people.com
